Barrie council delays rezoning request until April 29

That was the message Allandale neighbours gave to Barrie councillors Monday about a proposed apartment development on Cumberland Street.

City council delayed a decision until April 29 on rezoning 140, 142, 144, 148 and 152 Cumberland St., needed to build two residential buildings – one 12 units and three storeys, the second 28 units and five storeys.

Coun. Arif Khan, who represents this part of Barrie, said two more weeks of talks with the developer, neighbours and planning staff could save a trip to the Ontario Municipal Board – which decides contentious local government issues.

“It’s apparent there is still some room to talk here,” he said. “The alternative is, one way or the other, this will go to the OMB.”

“It’s in everyone’s interests to try to talk it through,” said Mayor Jeff Lehman. “I hope there will be some flexibility shown by both sides.”

This nearly one-acre property has 100 metres of frontage along Cumberland, and is located south of Lakeshore Drive and east of Bayview Drive.

Michael Jack lives at nearby 129 Cumberland, which dates back to 1882, and is opposed to a five-storey building in his neighbourhood.

“(I) am extremely concerned of the precedent it will establish for future residential buildings that could be built in the historic Allandale neighbourhood in the future,” he said.

Jack said neighbours are not afraid to take this development to the board.

“We’ll take this to the OMB and see how things play out there,” he said. “We are quite confident of taking that course of action again.”

Bill Scott, co-chair of the Allandale Neighbourhood Association, says it is opposed in principle to council approving a five-storey building so close to Allandale’s heritage area.

“If this application were approved, it would set a precedent which would be invoked by other developers whose properties could be adjacent or even within the dominantly single-family parts of Allandale,” he said.

Scott says the association’s concerns are intensified because the city staff report identifies parts of Cumberland Street and Burton Avenue as candidates for similar high-density developments. These properties hold century buildings now.

He also mentioned traffic and parking concerns. Scott estimates traffic would double on Cumberland with this development.

Khan acknowledged the message changed following a recent town hall meeting with the ANA on these development plans.

“Based on the feedback from that meeting. . .there was positive feedback,” he said. “That message was brought back to staff. Why the change?”

Scott noted that while the ANA has extensive membership, not all of them attend the meetings.

“We got a flood of e-mails that objected to the precedent,” he said. “There is a very strong feeling that old Allandale has no five-storey buildings and we don’t want any of them.”

Last week Khan convinced councillors to include facade setbacks on the fourth and fifth storeys of the larger building. He said the developer, a numbered Ontario company, was willing to work with city planners on the setbacks or tiered building of the larger apartments.

The developer’s plans for these properties are two-fold.

First is for an addition to the existing three-storey, six-unit walkup apartment – turning it into a 12-unit building with no increase in height at 148/152 Cumberland. The existing structure could either be refurbished or the building could be constructed from scratch.

Second would be a new five storey, 28-unit apartment building at 140/142/144 Cumberland, although it would require a break from zoning bylaw standards. This includes a reduced landscaping buffer and fewer parking spaces.

Currently on the properties are three single-family homes and the six-plex.

Khan has said two of the houses are in a dilapidated state and are not salvageable.

A public meeting last September resulted in concerns about increased traffic and parking caused by the project, that five storeys are out for character with the neighbourhood and could set a precedent, and that existing infrastructure would need to be upgraded if it is built. There were also concerns it doesn’t comply with the Historic Neighbourhood Strategy.

City planning staff say the development is consistent with city and provincial intensification policies, would compliment the surrounding residential uses and fits with the neighbourhood’s character.

The two buildings would also result in more than $660,000 in development charges for city coffers.

Testimonials

"Arif, We would like to thank you for all your time spent, due to the bus shelter that was put on our lawn. We realize it needs to be there, but were upset that it took away from our property. Thanks to you, our property now has curb appeal again. You were quick to respond to our emails and phone calls, and managed to get landscaping around the shelter. You also took the time to stop by and make sure everything was done to our satisfaction. You made it all so much easier."

Lorraine and Ed Cockburn
Ward 8 Residents

“Over the past 17 months Arif worked tirelessly to help us find a solution to being displaced. Arif brought together city staff, the County of Simcoe, the province, multiple service agencies, and the landowners to raise awareness and discuss solutions that could work for all sides. Arif put in many hours and went above and beyond to help us. Ultimately our fate was out of the hands of the city, and the outcome did not come in favour of the residents. I still want thank Arif, Mayor Jeff, and the City of Barrie for all the work they put into this issue.”

"I have found Arif to be genuinely caring, compassionate and fair. He has an honest conciliatory way. He helped us resolve a difficult situation through sustained dialogue that resulted in a satisfactory outcome for all parties, that saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal costs for us, others and the city."

Craig Busch, CEO
The Busch Group of Companies

"...fed up, I phoned my councillor to pick a fight. I never got my fight. I got Arif. And a strategy, action and I got a result. Fast. He proved to me that the process can work when you have the right person living in and working for you in your neighbourhood."

Kevin Wauchope
Ward 8 Resident

"Arif is a refreshingly different candidate, who is actually committed to listening to us, the residents of Ward 8, and advocating for us without any other agenda. He is bright and articulate, open to all points of view, and capable of expressing the diversity of opinion in a respectful manner which encourages collaboration and win/win solutions. He is involved in the community at all levels, and he and his family live and work in Ward 8. I have been impressed by his open-minded approach and his ability to bring people together in a common goal of making Ward 8 a better place to live."

Tara Nazerali, LL.B., M.S.W.
Ward 8 Resident

"I met Arif during his first campaign. He has tirelessly worked for the residents of ward 8, to champion our concerns, and advocate for a better city."

Shaaron Hayman
Ward 8 Resident

"Arif has been instrumental in making public transit a viable option for our employees. His diligent concern made it possible for our business to draw on local talent."

Andrew Dekker, COO
NetGain SEO

"Arif has impressed me as a person who takes the responsibility of the position seriously. He is an intelligent, hard-working, and knowledgeable representative who always ensures that he votes with integrity. I may not always agree with his vote, but I always respect the process he goes through to get there.”